Sean Dyche has said there are “a couple of maybes” in terms of potential new signings for Burnley, while once again stressing the club’s “difficult task” in transfer windows.
With the current window set to close on October 5, the Clarets have still only made one senior signing since the end of last season, the capture of goalkeeper Will Norris from Wolves.
They have been linked with Brighton’s Dale Stephens and, when asked about the midfielder ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Millwall, Dyche said: “We always get names thrown at us – that’s not a problem.
“There is a couple of things that are maybes, but not like where it’s on the cusp. But I’m still not sure of the guidelines from the chairman and the board, so I’m waiting on that and what they want to do.
“It’s always a challenge here. Once I get that (answer to) ‘can we get these things done?’, that’s helpful of course, so we’re still waiting on that.”
He added: “The truth is the truth, it’s been there a long time here – it’s always a difficult task, every window has been a massive, massive challenge here, and it continues to be that.
“It’s not new ground for me, it’s just always awkward and it’s tough. Couple of weeks, we’ll see what happens, but it’s very rare we’ve been first in to get players.
“It’s the way the club operates, the way the chairman and the board want it to operate. We have to be patient, keep our eyes and ears open and our ears to the ground on the market, and hope we can get the players in that we think can affect us.”
When asked if he was confident things were progressing in the right direction as deadline day got closer, Dyche said: “No, I’m never truly confident.
“I don’t think I’m truly confident until I can see a player in an office, signing a form. It can be tricky. I’m never overly confident until the moment of truth when that player arrives in this building.”
The likes of Jeff Hendrick, Aaron Lennon and Joe Hart left Burnley prior to the end of last season as their contracts expired, and Dyche currently has a number of players unavailable due to injury.
Ashley Barnes, Ben Mee, Jack Cork and Johann Berg Gudmundsson will all sit out the Millwall match as their recoveries continue, and Robbie Brady will also not feature due what Dyche has described as “a very minor” rib fracture.
Dyche said James Tarkowski, who has been nursing a toe problem, “has got a chance” of being involved in the cup tie.
On the day it was announced plans to allow the phased return of spectators into sporting venues are to be put on hold, Dyche was also asked about the possibility of the Premier League helping other clubs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Dyche said: “If the Premier League can do their bit to enhance the chance of other teams surviving, and when that is needed, possibly they’ll step in.
“But if you are going to apply that rule of thumb, does that mean every hedge fund manager that is incredibly successful, are they going to filter that down to the hedge fund managers that are not so successful?
“There’s lots of different businesses out there making huge sums of money that could therefore protect similar lines of business but lower down. If you are going to apply it to football, I think you have to apply it across the country to everyone and every business.”
Burnley are not paying for Millwall Covid-19 tests ahead of Wednesday’s tie.
